Ukulele Capo: What It Does and How To Use One

A capo lets you raise the pitch of your ukulele without learning any new chords. Clamp it across a fret and every string sounds higher, so the easy shapes you already know suddenly play in a new key. Below is what a capo does, when to reach for one, how to use it and how to pick the right type.

¿Qué es una cejilla?

Capo is short for capotasto, which is Italian for “head of fretboard”. It is a small tool you can strap around the neck of your ukulele to keep all the strings down on the same fret. So essentially, you are barring the strings on that particular fret with a capo instead of your finger.

Historical fact: Giovanni Battista Doni first used the term in his Annotazioni in 1640, though capo use probably began earlier in the 17th century. The first patented capo was designed by James Ashborn of Walcottville, Connecticut, USA.

¿Para qué sirve una cejilla de ukelele?

Now that you know what it is, you probably want to know what it is used for. Using a capo will raise the pitch of the instrument, allowing you to play in different keys without all the hassle of using the tuning pegs to tune your ukulele to a higher key or transposing the chords.

Example: the standard tuning for a ukulele (GCEA) is also called “C” tuning. Remembering that the order of notes is A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#, putting a capo on the second fret will transform your ukulele’s tuning to a “D” tuning, two half steps higher.

Para ilustrarlo, veamos dos acordes básicos de ukelele: Do y Sol. Son dos formas de acordes muy conocidas: 0002 y 0232, respectivamente. Se suelen usar en canciones en la tonalidad de Do.

When you put a capo on the second fret (capo 2 or capo II) the tuning or pitch of the whole ukulele is transposed two half steps up. Play the same chord shapes as above and the chords you are actually playing are now D and A.

A capo is also helpful when you are trying to match a singer’s vocal range more closely. Raising the pitch of your uke one or two half steps is often all it takes to make things more comfortable for the singer.

Tabla de capos para ukelele

Cada traste eleva el tono un semitono. Coloca el capodastro justo detrás del traste y, a continuación, toca tus formas de acordes habituales: sonarán más agudos en la cantidad indicada. Así, si pones el capodastro en el segundo traste, tu forma de acorde de Do se convertirá en un Re.

Past the 7th fret the frets get very tight and the uke starts to sound thin, so most players stay in the 1 to 5 range. Once you know which key you have landed in, the free keys tool lists every chord that belongs there. Capo 2 with C shapes puts you in D major, for instance. My guide to keys explains the theory behind it.

¿Cuándo se usa una cejilla para ukelele?

There are two main reasons why you might want to use a capo. The first is to raise the pitch of a song to a different key so that it will match your vocal range.

The second is this. On UkuTabs you will sometimes see “alternative version” as a note at the beginning of a song. That means you can try to transpose the song down to make it easier to play.

For example: transposing 1 step down changes A#m to Am, which is much easier to play. However, if you are playing along with the original recording, this will not sound right. To get back to the same key, you can put a capo on the first fret and still play the Am chord. Now you are in the same key as the recording but the chords are much easier to play. Not all the chords posted along with songs on UkuTabs require the use of a capo. You can decide for yourself whether you want to transpose the key and use a capo or not.

¿Necesito una cejilla para el ukelele?

This is a personal choice. I used the capo myself quite a lot when I started playing the ukulele, but nowadays I do not use it at all. When you get better, you will learn how to play that A#m chord. I also find it easier not to rely on a capo when playing songs. All the same, it is an amazing tool for beginner ukulele players since it allows you to play a wider range of songs using the transpose and capo solution.

¿Qué tipos de cejillas hay?

Capo con resorte

This is by far my favorite type of capo. The handle is spring-controlled and it allows you to change the capo’s position on the fretboard quickly with one hand. However, you cannot adjust the pressure applied to the strings and it tends to get quite bulky. I suggest looking at the several brands offering this type of capo. Kyser is a well-known brand that sells a very decent ukulele/banjo capo and is about $25 to $30. There are however cheaper alternatives such as this one below $10 and gets 5 stars on Amazon.

La cejilla tipo C

There is one big player on the clamp ukulele capo market and that is the Ukulele Capo made by Shubb, which comes in different colors. A C-clamp capo allows you to adjust the pressure applied to the strings by turning the little screw. You have to use the lever to put it on your ukulele. These capos are very sturdy, reliable and compact. However, they are also the most expensive capos.

The elastic or toggle capo

These used to be the cheapest capos out there, but recently came up in price. You can buy one for the same price as a spring-loaded or clamp capo. They are very lightweight and use a notched system or elastics to attach to your ukulele and tighten the strings. Although their low cost and small size are advantages, most of them are very low quality, tend to pull strings out of tune and break easily. Jim Dunlop offers a decent elastic ukulele capo.

NS Ukulele Capo Pro

This is one of the more recent capos: a dedicated ukulele capo by D’Addario (aka Planet Waves). It is a very lightweight capo, made of aluminum, with a very small footprint on the ukulele neck compared to the others (except the elastic capo). It is not that easy to maneuver around the fretboard once installed, but that is one of the only downsides. The PW-CP-12 NS is the latest model.

Tengo una cejilla para la guitarra. ¿Puedo usarla también?

Of course you can, nothing is stopping you from using your guitar‘s capo. I have a black Jim Dunlop 88B guitar capo. It works just fine, but I must say I rarely use it anymore. If you are planning to use a capo on your ukulele regularly, I would go for a capo designed specifically for the ukulele.

My advice: use it for your voice, not to dodge chords

A capo can really come in handy, but I suggest only using it to change the key of your ukulele to match your voice. Actually play the original chords. Try not to depend on your capo when learning songs. If you come across a song with an unknown chord, you can always find the chord diagram at the top of each song or click on the chord here on UkuTabs. If it is not a song on UkuTabs, use the UkuTabs Chord Library to find out how to play that chord or read up on the chord shapes every player should know.

Preguntas frecuentes sobre la cejilla para ukelele

Prueba a usar la cejilla con una canción

Put a capo on the 2nd fret, play a song you already know with your usual shapes and hear it lift into a brighter key. Somewhere Over The Rainbow is a good one to test it on. There are thousands more in the easy ukulele songs list. Use the chord library to look up shapes, the keys tool to see what fits the key you have moved into and the ukulele tuner to get in tune first. Feel free to contact me whenever you need more information about using a capo.

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